ASHEVILLE - With reverberations of the #metoo movement echoing around the country, elected officials here are now saying they need their own harassment training and that the city should set up a system to report harassment by City Council members.

City staff and council members came to that conclusion Tuesday during a meeting of the council's three-member finance committee. The committee makes recommendations that have to be approved by the full seven-member council.

The changes would be part of a harassment policy update for all municipal employees that is being made in light of "the current climate that we're in," said Shannon Barrett, city human resources director.

Businesses and other organizations have revisited policies on sexual and other types of harassment following a wave of allegations against corporate leaders and politicians that began with charges against disgraced movie executive Harvey Weinstein.

The new city policy will affirm the city's "refusal to tolerate workplace harassment," Barrett said, and prohibit retaliation for employees reporting harassment or participating in an investigation. The policy would also tell employees that they can go to a direct supervisor or any of several other high-ranking staff members with complaints.

Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler, who chairs the finance committee, said Asheville's elected officials should be explicitly included in the policy.

"I think also making it clear to employees that City Council members are employees. And if an employee felt a council member was engaging in harassing behavior, what would be the process," Wisler said.

But while city workers and top staff can be fired for harassment, that isn't true with council members, said City Attorney Robin Currin.

The worst types of harassment involve criminal activities that have to be reported to police, including any that involve council members. For issues that aren't criminal, there are limited options, Currin said.

"There is a censure provision," she said.

"Beyond the censure or reporting to law enforcement, I don’t know that we have any other remedy, besides protecting the city by warning that person and putting them on notice."

A system to deal with alleged harassment by council members should probably include two contact people, the city attorney said, herself and one other.

Committee members agreed that it would be a good idea for council members to get harassment training.

Committee member Vijay Kapoor said it would be "a good opportunity for us to go through the same training process as employees" and to "see what the reporting process is."